Lower Mainland gang warfare has seemingly reverberated onto Calgary streets, with a known B.C. underworld figure shot dead in a luxury vehicle

Lower Mainland gang warfare has seemingly reverberated onto Calgary streets, with a known B.C. underworld figure shot dead in a luxury vehicle. Gunfire erupted at 2:30 a.m., with cops finding the victim in the driver's seat of a black BMW M6 with B.C. licence plates. Sources identified the dead man as David Tajali, a former player in a war between feuding Mideast gangs in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, and believed to have been in Calgary for some time. It wasn't the first time he was targeted, having been wounded in a shooting in Richmond, B.C., in late 2006. A female passenger in the BMW escaped the gunplay without injury while a second man arrived at hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound. The latter was the brother of the victim and has non-life-threatening injuries, said Calgary police Staff Sgt. Doug Andrus.
"We have been in touch with B.C. police and we have also been in touch with our own gang unit," said Andrus. Sources said the BMW was driven about a block and a half after the shooting erupted, and it appeared two or three bullets struck the car on the driver's side, shattering the window. Shortly after the shooting, it was determined the victim's brother was in a different vehicle which police were trying to locate. Police hope to speak to two women seen behind a nearby building just prior to the shooting. "The (women) were speaking with a lone male and we believe that lone male will have information," said Andrus. Tajali's brother, Niki, was one of three men reportedly injured in a gang-related shootout in Richmond in early 2007. Yesterday's killing left nearby residents unsettled, with sidewalks dotted with evidence markers leading away from the victim's car toward an alleyway. Curt Heitmann lives in a nearby apartment building and was jarred awake by the sounds of about 10 gunshots. "I was sleeping ... and I woke up because I heard what sounded like fireworks," he said. "I think I heard some yelling from the street, 'I'm just trying to help you, I'm just trying to help you'. " Another area resident, Farhad Shirazi, saw an SUV roar away from the scene shortly after gunshots. "And another guy was yelling 'Don't shoot at me, I'm here to help,' " he said.
The slaying is Calgary's 20th homicide of the year. An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.

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